Notch for improved side seams



Sept. 24, 1929.

ELF. WARREN NOTCHTOR IMPROVED SIDE SEAMS Filed April 18, 1927 INVENTOR.

B QM P I TTOR/VE Y5 Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD IE. WARREN, F MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN CAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY NOTCH FOR IMPROVED SIDE SEAMS Application filed April is, 1927. Serial No. 184,715.

This invention relates in general to the manufacture of sheet metal containers, and has more particular reference to the manufacture of the ordinary and usual tin cans for the packing of vegetables and other products ,0 the top and bottom of the can, these last being provided to permit flanging for interfolding the flanged gasket packed can ends to provide hermetic closure.

In the constructionof the body, the interlocked hooked edges, which extend from one end of the can'to the other, are compressed tobring the outer surface of the can to substantially an uninterrupted cylindrical form, the seam part itself being forced to the inside of the can.

gether the lap ends of the can body and also fills, or partly fills, the. presented abutting portions of the lock seam. The solder is supposed to and does flow into and partly fills the spaces heretofore necessarily present at the junctions of the lock part of the seam with the end lap parts. It has been found, however, that it has been substantially impossible to completely fill the spaces with the solder and air pockets have resulted,.and these air pockets, ordinarily of small capacity, have been found suificient in many instances to cause leakage through the seam,- particularly in the processing or sterilizing of food product packed in the can. The heat of processing develops a substantial internal pressure'which, since the parts of the seam at these locations are not all united together, is weaker than the remainder of the seam and leaks are there produced.

My present invention has for its object the elimination of these air pockets through the provision of a form of junction between the lock and lap portions. This I accomplish by arranging the ends of the hooked portions entering into the seam at the registration with other axially of the can, so that they subsantially fill the junction spaces. Thus constructed, the air pockets are materially re- Thereafter this seam is" run across solder rolls which solder to,-

duced in the seam and better opportunity is provided for the filling of these parts of the side seam of the can with solder. I

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the can body embodied in my present invention;

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are partial views of can body blanks constructedin accordance with my invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial detail view taken from the inside of the can and showing the arrangement of the parts in the seam;

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing a modification of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 7, showing .a modified form of the invention.

The can body indicated by reference character 18 is formed of any one of the blanks 12 shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The blank shown in Fig. 2 and indicated by reference character 12 is cut away at its lefthand end, viewing the drawing, to provide the hook portion 11 extending outfroni the end of' the blank. At the opposite end, the blank is slit at 15 to set off a companion hook portion 14. Fhe parts this set off are oppositely bent to form the hooks of the general shape indicated by reference characters 17 and 19 respectively in Fig. 5. i

In accordance with my invention, it is desired that the ends of the two hook portioITs thus provided shall not be in registration when the seam is formed and in Fig. 2 the hook portion 14 is shorter than the hook portion 11 by the amount indicated between the lines a-a and b?; at each side of the blank; This same result, however, maybe obtained in a' variety of ways, and in Fig. 3 the hook portion 14 is made longer than the hook portion 11 by the amount at each end equal to the distance between the lines 6-4) and H.

. provided in the slit'blanks 2 and 3. The

amounts by which the ends of the hook portions are out of registration with each other should be accurately predetermined to fill the junction between the lock and lap portions of the seam.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the result of the use of the blank shown in Fig. 4, wherein the hook part 11 has greater length than the hook part 14. Thus constructed, it will be noted that the ends of the hook part 11 extend beyond the endsof the hook part 1 1 and are bent down to fill the space provided at the junction between the lock part of the seam and the lap portions, reference character 17 indicating the inner seam wall and reference character 19 the outer.

Fig. 7 illustrates the arrangement when the length of the hook portion 14 is greater than that of the hook portion 11. and the result is manifestly substantially the same. It will, of course, be manifest that the same result can be obtained within the purview of this invention by providing hook ends of the same lengthto offset a proper amountin the slitting or notching of the blanks. Such a construction would result from forming the portion.

' EDWARD F. WARREN.

top edge of the blank as indicated in Fig.

I 2, and the bottom edge as disclosed in Fig, 3.

Thus arranged, the hook parts would assume the relation shown in Fig. 8. 1,

It will be manifest that where the ends of the hook parts are out of registration they permit a gradual juncture 21, as contradistinguished from an abrupt one, and also substantially eliminate the air pockets earlier described.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and ar rangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages,'the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A can body blank cut to produce a lock and lap side seam, the hook portion at one end of the blank being defined at its top and bottom ends by slits 15, and the hook portion at the other end of the blank being defined by cutting away the blank' entirely at its top and bottom edges and exposing the ends of the hook portion, the said slits being spaced apart a distance difierent from the distance apart of said exposed ends of the other hook portion. 

